Runaway by Michael Crichton:
Science Fiction Inventions, Technology and Ideas

Very entertaining movie written and directed by Michael Crichton appeared in 1985. The film has a surprising number of very well conceived "robots" depicted as doing work in a variety of settings. The basic premise is that, in the near future, robots will be lending a helping hand everywhere - and sometimes they malfunction. When that happens, a specialized police unit moves in.

The movie itself is fun to watch; Gene Simmons of the band KISS is excellent as the evil chip-designing mastermind. Tom Selleck, Cynthia Rhodes and Kirstie Alley round out the main cast members. Take a look at the trailer:

Select an invention:

Agricultural Robot Pest Controller - picking off the pests
An agricultural robot specifically designed to perform pest control activities.

Car Dashboard Drone Controller
A screen and controls for using a remote drone.

Construction Robot
Autonomous robots work on construction sites.

Drone Floater Camera - fly and spy
A one-foot square aerostat capable of hovering with a camera to transmit images back to a base station.

Home Robot
A robotic device designed to serve families in their homes.

Police Sketch Artist Software - pc-based police art
A tablet-style computer with sketch pad software to help identify suspects.

Security Guard Robot (Sentry Robot)
A robot that takes the place of a security guard in an office environment.

Self-Propelled Road Mine
A small, lightweight mine able to travel at highway speeds; guides itself to a marked target.

Smart Bullet - self-guided microshell
Really a tiny missile capable of identifying and following a person.

Sniffer Robot
A small robot that gathers odors from a crime scene for analysis.

Spider (Robotic Insects)
Scuttling insect robots.

 

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